Panama Birds

Jeremy Gatten · **Joined:** Oct 27 11:29 am **Posts:** 322

Hi all,

I got back from Panama a couple days ago and thought I'd share a few random photos:

Panamanian Flycatcher

Tropical Mockingbird

White-whiskered Puffbird

Long-tailed Hermit

Southern Lapwing

Great-tailed Grackle

White-necked Jacobin

Pauraque

I'll put up more later, but that's a decent taster. I hope you enjoy them!

Jeremy Gatten
Saanichton, B.C.

birdtrekkerbc · **Posted:** Mar 16 9:39 am

Thanks for sharing Jeremy, I'm heading to Panama for 3 weeks and leave on April 3rd. Can't wait to get there and hopefully add a White-whiskered Puffbird to my life list (as well as several others)

Birder2000 · **Joined:** Jul 17 7:29 pm **Posts:** 588

Seems like you had a good time!

featherweight · **Posted:** Mar 17 5:08 pm

Looks like you saw a great variety, love the White-whiskered Puffbird & the Long-tailed Hermit. Look forward to seeing more!

revs · **Posted:** Mar 18 8:22 am

awesome shots Jeremy, Panama is on my radar as well, love the Hermit and Puffbird

Jeremy Gatten · **Joined:** Oct 27 11:29 am **Posts:** 322

Here's a few more shots from the trip as promised:

Social Flycatcher

Squirrel Cuckoo

Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher

Ruddy-capped Nightingale-Thrush

Olive-striped Flycatcher

Common Bush-Tanager

For those contemplating a trip to Panama, I would certainly endorse it. The birding is very good, there is infrastructure in most key areas, and the roads are pretty good. I drove from the outskirts of Panama to the far west and had no problems. I found it more sane than Costa Rica overall in that regard. On the last day, I did take a taxi across Panama City to get to the Tocumen International Airport and experienced how chaotic it can be. That is why I opted to rent a car from the outskirts rather than the main airport.

It was not strictly a birding trip as my lady was with me, but I managed 280 species. If anyone has any questions about birding there, drop me a line and I will do my best to provide you with a satisfactory answer.

Jeremy Gatten
Saanichton, B.C.

Jeremy Gatten · **Joined:** Oct 27 11:29 am **Posts:** 322

And a few from the open country near the Pacific coast, an hour south or so from David:

Tropical Kingbird

Ruddy-breasted Seedeater

White-collared Seedeater

and one of my personal favourites: Red-breasted Blackbird

I also saw Savanna Hawk, Mangrove Black-Hawk, Eastern Meadowlarks, Smooth-billed Anis, Ruddy-breasted Ground-Doves, Cattle Egrets, and Red-crowned Woodpeckers in the same area. The shots above, with the Red-breasted Blackbird as an exception, were just taken out my vehicle window on a short drive.

Jeremy Gatten
Saanichton, B.C.

Jeremy Gatten · **Joined:** Oct 27 11:29 am **Posts:** 322

Here's a bird that doesn't have many good images on the net (at least according to a quick Google search). This photograph came from the entrance to Finca Dracula - an orchid farm - near the Los Quetzales ecolodge in the mountains of western Panama.

Dark Pewee

They're a neat-looking pewee. Same shape as our Western Pewees, but uniformly sooty-grey. The individual I photographed was extremely cooperative and that shot is just slightly cropped. I was able to walk onto a downed cedar and take shots from under 10 meters away. Great moment with this endemic shared with Costa Rica!

Jeremy Gatten
Saanichton, B.C.

Deon · **Posted:** Mar 30 8:46 am

Great variety and captures Jeremy. That Dark Pewee is a big bonus!

revs · **Posted:** Mar 30 9:49 am

Sounds like a lot of the species are similar to what i found in Trinidad, Red-breasted Blackbird was one of my fav's as well

Jeremy Gatten · **Joined:** Oct 27 11:29 am **Posts:** 322

Glad you are enjoying the variety - the birding in Panama is great for having its diversity nicely divided out into different habitats. Obviously some birds are generalists, but it's nice to go into the mountains (>2000 m) and experience a completely different set of birds than you would find 500 meters lower, then different birds as you get down into lowland forests, and once again as you get into open, savanna-like habitats near the coast. There are many specialized habitats and niches in between, but it's a great way to learn how tightly tied some of these birds are to specific vegetation and climates.

Paul, did you happen to get a shot of the Red-breasted Blackbird showing the reddish epaulets? I forgot the males had the epaulets and my mind was blown when I saw one flash them as it was about to land in a patch of grass. Trinidad would be great, but it's very expensive to get into Asa Wright. That will have to wait for the time being!

Jeremy Gatten
Saanichton, B.C.

Panama Birds

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